Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy is off the mindset that young players, no matter how celebrated they are or how high they are picked in the NBA Draft, must earn minutes rather than being gifted them.
That applies to everyone, including #8 overall pick Stanley Johnson.
"I think it's important that they (young players) play when they deserve to play, and not just, 'We're going to play our guy.' I know some people do believe in that. I don't," Van Gundy said, via MLive.com. What about Johnson's three top-level performances in the NBA Summer League? "I've seen summer-league MVPs who get no minutes during the year," Van Gundy countered.
Dwyane Wade started immediately in Miami when Van Gundy was coaching there and Courtney Lee saw major minutes in his first year under Van Gundy in Orlando, "but in both those cases even, those players were clearly the best players, the best options, and deserved the chance to play," Van Gundy said.
So, those expecting Johnson to make an immediate impact in the Motor City must keep in mind that he won't even have a featured spot in the rotation unless he earns it this summer.
Follow our Detroit Pistons team page for the latest Pistons rumors!
Back to the Detroit Pistons Newsfeed